And by the time the sun came up on the second morning, I was not heartbroken anymore.

I was ready.

There is a particular calm that comes when you stop hoping a person will be someone they have proven they are not, and I had arrived at it, at last, in a nursery at four in the morning with a sleeping boy on my chest.

Chapter 16 — The Email

On the second afternoon, the email came.

Nicolas came down the hall holding his tablet, his face pale and working.